


A bond to last forever

by navvy



Series: Utúlie´n aure! Aiya Eldalie ar Atanatári, utúlie´n aure [3]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20918606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navvy/pseuds/navvy
Summary: Gil-galad couldn't believe his eyes, a little blonde spit-fire with eyes of those who had seen the Trees. How could this be? But he knew, whoever this young one was, he would defend her with his life, here it was his fated mate and he wouldn't lose her now he had found her.





	1. A meeting in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit unusual, I wanted them to actually meet each other differently. I find funny the thought of re-born elves having to recreate their infancy. I also find intriguing the thought of a bond born too early for one of the parts, and this seems likely in a race which lives forever, so this is it. It's the same characters of my first story "Utúlie'n aurë" but Arya/Glorfindel came back as a child. Nothing serious happens until Arya is of age. I have not been able to find any source which would tell me the equivalent of ages from elves to man, so I'm figuring that 50 is the age of consent, equivalent to 18, and Arya is around 14 which made her in her thirties. I don't believe is a lineal rule anyway.
> 
> As this story is outside the universe I created for my first tale, being as Arya is returned as I child, I decided to keep it at the same series but outside of "And death was his reward" which I wanted as a test ground for different scenarios to see where to take a second part. At the end, "And death was his reward" has become a series of different first meetings, but I find that funny too, some kind of "What would have happened if they hadn't met when they did?". 
> 
> As a last note, I took the idea of Arya having a weapon hidden in her hair from many Gundam Wing fics, were Duo used his braid to hide all kinds of things, even explosives. I liked this idea, I think it hilarious even if unbelievable some times, so I used it here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-uploaded, after being betaed by books4life16. Thank you again and again. I feel so much better with your work. I hope anyone reading this from scratch will enjoy it without all the mistakes.

A touch to his face roused him suddenly, and Gil-galad came into the waking world with a groan of pain, resisting opening his eyes. The gentle touch froze immediately but the hand stayed on his forehead. Whoever who was imprisoned with him in this hell had been clearly trying to clean him up a bit, probably with little success as Gil-galad couldn't point to a part of his body which wasn't bruised or broken, and he was probably covered with blood. The King finally opened his eyes in curiosity to try and see his cell companion. The light was poor in the cell, only a small sliver of brightness was visible from the door’s small opening, but still, Gil-galad was able to discern a few things about his fellow prisoner: she was an elleth-child, probably in her thirties, with bright blue eyes and golden hair. But the moment their eyes made contact, he was completely distracted. Gil-galad felt a strange sensation, as if he could see his future, like they were connected by something more than a look. He knew that this elleth was brave and kind, and that this was his fated mate, the one elf in the whole creation who was a perfect match for the King. He would have cried at the irony of it if he had any energy left for it. Of all the places and all the times he could have found her, he did it in an orc cell with both of them being imprisoned. It was infuriating and he would be sure to be teased forever by Elrond for this, if they managed to escape this place. The young elleth retired the rag she had been using to clean him, but stayed crouched next to him and raised an eyebrow in question at his continued gazing.

"Are you finally awake? Those disgusting beasts pushed you here hours ago and you have been unconscious all this time, you look like they roughed you up badly." - said the blonde, rising from her seat at his side and returning with a small cup of water. The King took the drink slowly and returned his attention to her, amazed by her calm attitude at being imprisoned by orcs, like it was a nuisance more than anything else. He hid a smile at her impatient look because of his continuing silence:

"I am awake, I believe, but I'm surprised to find anyone in this cell with me. How long have you been here?" - asked the King, worried for his young mate. The blonde seemed to think about it, unsure herself of it

"I think that I've been here for about two days now, they have brought food and water two times, and it didn't seem like it was more than a day between those times. But it is difficult to say without any reference" - admitted the blonde after a few mental calculations. She then pierced the King with her unnaturally brilliant eyes, eyes which were starting to look familiar to the King, and said - "What is your name?"

Gil-galad couldn't believe his eyes, a little blonde spitfire with eyes of those who had seen the Trees. How could this be? But he knew, whoever this little one was, he would defend her with his life. Here she was, his perfect match, and he wouldn't lose her now he had found her. He was still young in the elven way of measuring time, but as a King, he had been taking a lot of pressure from many sides to take a wife and sire an heir. Giving his predecessors fortunes, he couldn't blame them for their fears, but he had a romantic soul in his core, and he had always been fascinated by the tales of soulmates. It was said that they were divided by Morgoth's malice and it had made it difficult to find them , but he didn't lose hope that he would find his, and now here was his reward for his patience. 

"My name is Gil. Who are you?" - asked Gil-galad intrigued. With those eyes this teenage elf must be reborn, as the Trees had been destroyed over an Age ago, but how could she be in these shores? It didn't make any sense at all. And who had been taking care of her, had she been reborn to an elf or left as a child on Middle Earth like a forgotten parcel? The King was horrified of all the things which could have happened to this elleth. 

"I am Arya" - said the blonde.

"Arya, that's a nice name. It means day in Quenya, doesn't it?" - asked the King, testing to see if she had a memory of her past. The blonde, Arya, looked warily to the King, but only nodded to this.

"Among other things, yes" - confirmed the small blonde. The King, having now recovered a bit from the pain which had left him unconscious, tried to stand upright a bit. Arya went to his side and help him sit up, her touch was light but the King felt it weighing heavily on his mind as they connected more fully for the first time. However, the situation wasn't ideal for getting distracted at that moment. The King was able to lean against the wall behind him and took a moment to look around the cell, or the little of it he could see. It was a small room, with stone walls and a metal door in one of them. There wasn't any light except for the small sliver coming from the door's barred window. He could barely see the stone walls, and could only see Arya because of her blonde hair and bright eyes which reflected the light. He suspected that Arya could see better than him in the dark, as those who had been born before the Sun and Moon, although he wasn't sure that it would stay that way after their rebirth. 

"We need to find a way out of here" - said the King, after a few moments regaining his breath from the movement. Arya looked sceptical at this, looking at him pointedly and the stone walls surrounding them. Gil-galad smiled at this - "We will need to take them unaware and escape when they come to bring us food."

They started to make different plans for their escape, and Gil-galad interrogated the young one about the guards' comings and goings. When did they arrive, how many they were, and how they behaved, so they could try to overpower them and escape. Arya was bright and observant, and despite her sceptical attitude to a viable escape, she had been clearly marking her captors' movements. She quickly mapped their routine to Gil-galad, explaining their weak points as she had observed them. Only one orc entered the cell to bring her food and water. Another stayed in the hallway, but not within the sight of the cell, no others were close as far as she had been able to sense, both with her sight, hearing, and her mind. The King realized that Arya had a different set of skills than him, as she could perceive the evil that Morgoth's creatures emanated. He and other elves born in Middle Earth were also sensitive to them, but it wasn't so refined to distinguish between two or three orcs as Arya clearly could. 

With that information, they started to compile their potential weapons. Here the news was not as bad as it could have been. He had been stripped of all his weapons, including his boot knife, but Arya had at least two small knife-pins which had been hidden in her hair. They had two sizable stones knocked out of the wall which Arya had been hiding from her captors waiting for the right moment and, in a pinch, the bowl and cup for the food which were made of metal could be used as emergency weapons. With all this, their plan was formed, if loosely, as the variables were too many. They would wait for the orcs to arrive, Arya would take a place behind the door. Gil-galad would lie as if he were dead, within sight of the door. From there, it depended on the orcs reactions, if both of them would come to check on him, or if only one of them, or even none. Would the orc in the hallway stay outside or would he enter to check? Either way, they divided their weapons among them, Arya would take a pin and a rock and would try to take care of the hallway orc if he didn't come into the room. Gil-galad would attack the food orc or both of them if they entered the room to check on him. He didn't like the plan very much, as it could take Arya away from his sight to fight one of the orcs alone, but with his compromised mobility, he couldn't think of a better idea. Arya had confirmed that, despite her age, she knew how to fight. The King wasn't sure if she remembered her past, whatever it was, but he didn't want to ask directly since he feared being overheard. Arya had obliquely admitted to be a better fighter than someone of her age should be, and was certain of her ability to take care of one orc. He had no choice but to trust her judgment and pray that fate wouldn't be so cruel as to tear her from him, before they even had a chance to get to know each other. They could only wait for the orcs to come.


	2. Cala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya and Gil-galad don't know each other, even if a mystic bond ties them together. However, they will need to trust the other if they want to escape their prison alive.

A small sound reached Arya's hearing, the door was finally opening and she took her designated place behind it. Gil had laid down as they had planned and looked still as death. Arya contained her breath, waiting to see how the orcs would react to their gamble. Neither of them had said anything, but Arya had been aware, from the moment she saw him, that Gil was some kind of important prisoner. She wasn't sure who he was or what the orcs wanted with him, but she hoped that they would be reluctant to let him die and would enter the cell to investigate.

After taking a few seconds to open the rustic lock, an orc stepped into the cell. Arya, behind the door, waited to see if he would take the bait. When she had almost lost hope of him playing into their plans, the being exclaimed in surprised anger in its own tongue and advanced further into the room. Even better, the second one, at the exclamation of his companion, also walked into the room and Arya was now at their backs. Silently she took position behind them and wait for them to get into Gil’s reach, and for his signal to act, fingering her hair-pin-slash-knife. When the first orc crouched down next to the prisoner to check if he was alive, Gil move as fast as lightning and used his knife-pin to stab him in the neck. Arya made her move then, jumping into the other orc back and stabbing him with her weapon. They both went down hard at their coordinated attack. Arya lost no time after that, and taking her knife out of the monster's neck, she appropriated his scimitar and went out of the cell to check out for further threats. Gil threw the other dead orc away from him and went after her.

Outside the cell there was a small corridor with three cells on each side, the last one on the right being theirs. The hallway opened on both sides to other rooms, and Arya looked at both paths while concentrating, trying to sense which was the right direction. Gil allowed himself a moment of rest, leaning against the doorway of their former cell. As he had been barely conscious when he was led there, he had no idea of which was the way to the exit, and he didn't have much strength to spare to help Arya to figure it out. Finally, Arya chose one of the paths, saying:

"Both sides feel foul, but from this one I feel a small breeze, hopefully it's from an entrance and not only an air vent." - she went to Gil's side and placed her shoulder under his arm so he could lean on her to walk. They both started to walk, being as silent as they could, and extending all their senses trying to catch any sign of the enemy before it was too late.

* * *

Arya looked around the corner searching for threats. They had been lucky so far, as they had only crossed paths with a lonely orc who had been dispatched efficiently by Gil, and a drunk troll they had given a wide berth. They had managed not to trigger any alarms so far, which was very fortuitous, as they were vastly outnumbered and Gil was unable to fight at full strength, actually he shouldn't be fighting at all. Their whole hope to escape rested on their ability to remain unnoticed. Arya felt that her companion was standing up only by sheer stubbornness, so she wanted to make it as easy as possible for him. She feared that he wouldn't be able to do much more than what he had already done. He was utterly spent and badly hurt, there was probably some broken bones, maybe even a few ribs, and he had lost too much blood during his torture. Now she was able to see him a bit better, he was starting to look familiar, she was pretty sure that there was some Finwëan blood in him, something in his steely gaze and stubborn character was familiar to the blonde. Her uncle Nolofinwë used to look at her and Thel similarly when they were crossing the Ice, when all seemed hopeless. A combination of: "You can do it" and "I won't let you down". Arya was still remembering her previous life, but some things were carved into her fëa.

The next room was empty, Arya was starting to get the impression that this group wasn't all that big, which made sense as they were located very close to Lindon's palace. It couldn't have been easy to slip in unnoticed, and Arya was surprised that they hadn't been spotted by the King's troops. She looked back to her companion to check on his situation. He seemed to be taking advantage of their pauses to rest, leaning on the wall. He was s hugging his ribs as if they pained him and his skin had a grey tint. All in all, he wouldn't be able to go much further. At that moment, the sound of something approaching reached them. It sounded like armoured soldiers coming in their way. Arya looked around the room searching for a place to hide, there wasn't much, but a small alcove in one of the walls looked promising, she pushed Gil into it and went to move somewhere else. However, her companion took hold of her and drew her into his body, whispering

"There is nowhere else to hide. We stay together" - he said in a tone of command. She would have argued about it, but there wasn't time. Six orcs entered the room, and crossed it, arguing out loud on their language, Arya froze. Crushed against Gil in the small niche, she could feel his faltering breath on her nape, while his arms were surrounding her protectively. Just when she thought there were going to pass unnoticed, two of the stupid creatures started to argue more violently, and stopped just before leaving the room. Arya started to count backwards in her head, trying to stay calm and silent, however, luck wasn't on their side this time because the arguing orcs had detoured the rest of the group and, when they turned around, they looked straight in their direction. Gil may have gone unnoticed with his dark hair and clothes, with the dim light and shadows of the alcove, but Arya, with her blonde hair and green clothes, had no chance at all. One of the orcs screamed in rage and went to them. He was the first to die.

Arya couldn't have said what happened or how, but from one moment to the next, when she felt all the desperation of the situation overflowing her, she felt something inside of her reaching out. While she left go of Gil, with her small knife and the scimitar in her hand to fight the first of the orcs, a light started to emanate from inside her, blinding and damaging the approaching orcs, making them doubt and even step back in fear. She took advantage of this, even if she didn't understand it, and killed three of them before they even tried to fight back. Of the other three, one tried to run away and she threw her knife at him, killing him instantly. The remaining two tried to fight her in unison, but Arya was too fast for them and decapitate one of them with the scimitar while using the inertia of the motion to stab the last one in the chest. All that had happened so fast that Gil hadn't got the chance to recover from his surprise at her glowing light. Arya stood at the centre of the room, breathing heavily as if she had run for hours, the light still emitting from her even if a bit dimmer. Gil stood looking at her in surprise, they made eye-contact for a moment before the blonde's eyes rolled back on her head, and she fainted to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cala: meant light in quenya.


	3. The rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya is down and Gil-galad will need to take care of the consequences of their spontaneous bond. Elrond is very amused, once he gets over the scare. Now they are free, their lives are theirs to live them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valarauko: Quenya name for Balrogs  
Urulóki: fire-breathing dragons  
While I was writing this I realized where I have been influenced the most about bonds, it has been bothering me for a while, because I wanted to give credit and now I remember. In SW fanfiction! Particularly the master-padawan bond. So if someone felt that my description sounds familiar, that's likely the reason. All the credit for the good ideas about this, go to those authors who filled my teenage mind with their wonderful tales, the doubtful implementation of this in my story is all my fault, I'm afraid.

Gil-galad went to the blonde's side after her fainting, still reeling with surprise. Never had he seen or heard of an elf glowing in battle with a light like that. It's true that elves had a small glow, a symptom of their closer connection with their fëas and, in general, with worlds beyond the physical. And he had seen that those born in Aman, as his cousin Galadriel, had a stronger glow around them, but he had never heard of anything like what he had witnessed there. Arya light had blinded and harmed the orcs, using the light as another weapon, and they had reacted with fear and chaos to it. 

Reaching the blonde's unconscious form, he crouched at her side and took her into his arms. He didn't know if it was an effect of the light or the rush he had felt at the fight, but he felt better than before, and was able to pick up his little mate in his arms. She was lighter and smaller than what her personality made her seem, and he allowed himself a moment to feel protective of her, even if she had shown clearly that she was more than capable of protecting herself. Gil-galad held her tenderly against his chest and started to walk again towards the direction they thought led to an exit. He was almost certain that it was near, as the fact they hadn't heard the armoured orcs before they did, showed that they had been outside. And indeed, the next room was a hallway into a small opening and he could see the trees behind it. They hadn't seen light out of it because it was night time. Gil-galad stepped cautiously into the world outside, looking around for further threats, it was empty of any. However, he heard a familiar sound in the night, the canter of a troop of horses coming his way. The King, keeping hold of his mate, climbed into a low-branched tree near the entrance of the cave and waited there. At last, two dozen riders entered the clearing next to the cave, at their head was Elrond and his Captain. Captain Rehtaro dismounted quickly, with the other dozen of elves, and started for the mouth of the cave. Gil-galad waited for him to pass below him, and cleared his throat. The elf drew his sword and looked up at him, and almost dropped it in surprise.

"Your Majesty! You are alright!" - he exclaimed. Elrond dismounted at once and reached the tree looking up, widening his grey eyes at the sight he made. Like some kind of wild man, full of blood and with an unconscious damsel in his arms. Elrond mouth was starting to twitch in a suppressed smile. Gil-galad dropped down to the ground, careful of his injuries and his precious cargo. Once he reached them, the half-elf touched his arm in greeting, checking him out with more than his eyes. His eyes went wide again when he sensed the bond between him and the blonde teenager and looked at her closer. Gil-galad nodded in answer to the unasked question, but looked to his Captain as there were things more pressing at the moment. 

"Elrond, Rehtaro. It's good to see you both, we were detained by a company of orcs inside that cavern there. We killed eight, but I don't know how many more there are, there is at least one drunk troll you should take care of" - informed the monarch, nodding to the cave entrance. Rehtaro signalled some of his soldiers to get inside, while he, the King, and Elrond, went to the horses. Elrond, seeing as the King was hurt, offered to take the blonde himself. Gil-galad hesitated for a moment, fighting with himself between the wish of keeping the blonde next to him, and the rational part of him which admitted he was hurt and she would be safer with someone else. Elrond sensed his inner fight and, knowing how the new bonds felt, waited patiently. Even if the bond was young and Arya's shorter age made the bond more a protective feeling than anything else, the King had a hard time letting go of her. At last the King nodded, and after Elrond remounted his horse, passed the young elleth to him. Elrond took her carefully under the attentive look of the King and placed her in front of him on the horse, keeping her safely close to him with one of his arms. 

Gil-galad took one of the horses available from the soldiers who had entered the cave, and Rehtaro, Elrond, himself, and two-thirds of the company, left for the palace.

* * *

Elrond looked to his cousin and sovereign, concerned by the turn of events. They were in the King's suite of rooms, in the Monarch’s own private room. The healers and Elrond himself had examined the young elleth and deemed her healthy, if very drained. She hadn't even stirred in the whole time since Elrond had met both her and the King at the entrance of the cave. Gil-galad had said that she had expended much energy fighting the orcs in the cave and had fainted a few minutes before their arrival. In a low voice, he had explained that she had done something extraordinary, but he didn't want to say more with so many witnesses, he would explain later. He had taken the young elleth to his rooms after the checkout. He wasn't surprised that the King had felt the impulse to put the blonde in his own rooms and bed. While he had never felt the kind of bond Gil-galad was feeling right now, he had read much about it. The first days and months were a delicate balance to keep for the bonded pair, as they would feel the need to be together. Once the bond stabilized they could stay away longer, a matter of concern was Arya’s younger age, and Elrond was surprised that the bond could have formed this strong with her so young. It went against all Elrond had read about them, when the pairs had an age difference, and in an immortal race like theirs it wasn't uncommon, usually the pair only felt a deep connection and friendship until the younger partner reached an appropriate age. Elrond tried to talk to his friend, both to satisfy his curiosity and to try and distract him:

"You said you would explain later with less people around. Now is later, what happened in that cave Ereinion? And how can you feel this imbalanced with a bonded this young?" - asked the Perendhil. Gil-galad kept looking to the blonde but answered his friend.

"She is reborn Elrond, I don't know how or why but she has the eyes of those who have seen The Trees. She seems to have at least some of her previous memories, given how she fights. That's the reason the bond is so strong, it's a bond of the fëa, and her soul is older than mine" - said the King. Elrond was speechless at this, and looked to the _Vanya-blonde_, now he realized, with more attention. The King continued his explanation in awed voice - "She fights those creatures like no one I have ever seen, when she went after them a light emanated from her, a white, warm light which wrapped around me and felt like it healed me. The orcs retreated from it, their hesitation was their end. Have you ever heard of something like that?" - asked the King. Elrond, who had looked awed and incredulous through the explanation, now denied with his head, firmly saying:

"I never heard of something like that, not from my parents nor Maedhros or Maglor. If that was a skill common with those born in the far shores, we would have heard it by now" - said the younger elf. Gil-galad nodded at this, as it fit with what he knew, but left him at an impasse until the blonde awakened. That was assuming that she even had an explanation for it, he had gotten the impression, in the look they had shared before she fainted, that she was as surprised as him by what had happened. 

At that moment, a movement from the bed got the attention of both males. Arya moved restlessly and opened her eyes finally, her gaze went to the King immediately, and she almost rose from the bed at the surprise. Gil-galad hold her down on the bed taking hold of her shoulders.

"Relax! Try to be quiet and rest. You have expended far more than you should, we are safe now and you can rest" - said Gil-galad soothingly. Arya looked around the room sharply, taking note of the decorations, the colours, and the banners exposed there. She looked back to the King in realization and said:

"Sweet Valar! Gil! You are the King, you are Ereinion Gil-galad!" - said the young one, almost breathlessly. Gil-galad nodded with his head.

"I am Gil-galad, please keep calling me Gil or Ereinion. You are my mate and I would like you to call me as my family does" - said the King, taking hold of her hand and dropping a kiss on it. Arya flushed at this, surprised. A throat cleared in their vicinity and they both looked to the other male in the room, who was watching the whole scene in amusement. Gil-galad rolled his eyes and said - "And this is my cousin, Elrond Perendhel" - Arya looked at the half-elf, curiously. But then, she returned her attention to the King and looked him over, remembering his injuries.

"How are you there standing and I'm here laying down? You were hurt! I remember. You could barely move or breath" - asked the blonde, almost indignant. The King nodded, as his theory had been confirmed. 

"Something happened when you fought those orcs, don't you remember"- Arya though back to what had happened

"There was a light, the orcs were scared of it. It came from me, but I never had been able to do that before. I would have used it then if I have the skill. It felt warm, as if I was home again, and the light of the Trees was there." - mused the blonde, longingly. Elrond, who hadn't seen this light, looked fascinated about the phenomenon. 

"So, you didn't know you could do this?" - asked the Perendhil. Arya denied with her head. 

"Not at all, I don't know what it is or how I can do it now, maybe it is because I was dead? Maybe I came back wrong" - she seemed almost curious instead or frightened at this prospect. Gil-galad looked at her and intervened before she kept speculating further down that path.

"It didn't feel wrong, evil, or frightening. It was a warm light, like the sun in the morning, and it felt protective like a parent" - said the King - "It healed me through the bond. The only downside was that you went down like a rock after the fact. That's the reason you are in the bed instead of I".

"That's probably because she is so young. She expended more energy than she could afford" - said the half-elf. Arya seemed relieved at this, and far too ready to leave the bed. The Perendhil raised his hand sternly. - "You are not leaving that bed yet. You have just awakened, a healer needs to check you out" - Arya seemed mutinous to that.

"Well, where is the healer then? This bed is very nice and all, but I need to wash up at the very least, I feel disgusting, whatever clean up they have done to me clearly wasn't enough" - said the Vanya, impatient. Gil-galad nodded to the Perendhil and asked.

"Can you check her over?" - Elrond nodded to this, looking to the young elleth for her consent. She conceded it. Elrond then went to usher the King away for privacy. The King seemed reluctant to this, however, and Arya seemed to be torn by this as well, Elrond ended up asking the King to turn around but to stay in the room. Both his patient and the King seemed relieved at this. Elrond gave the blonde a throughout examination, which Arya accepted submissively. After checking out all he could think of, and a few things more, the perendhil seemed to run out of tests, and allowed the blonde to redress herself and the King to go back to her. They both looked at him expectantly.

"She is alright, her energy levels are still a bit low, but nothing dangerous, she should be recovered by tomorrow. I can't find an explanation for this light you both remember, but her fëa feels.... different than other elves I've had sensed before, even different than those born in Aman. If I had to compare it to someone, I would compare her to Lord Eönwë" - concluded the Prendhil. Gil-galad and Arya's eyes went wide at that last conclusion.

"Eönwë!? He is a Maia! I don't have Maia blood, you must be mistaken" - said the blonde surprised by this conclusion. Gil-galad said nothing but he seemed to agree with the young elleth. Elrond, however, seemed convinced.

"No Arya. I don't know the reason, and I believe when you say you have never been able to do this, but the fact is that you can now. I don't know if this is something all reborn elves can do, as you are the first we have met in this shore." - concluded the healer, in soothing tones trying to keep his patient calm. Arya looked even more disconcerted by this. 

"Why was I sent back here then? If no one else has, why me? I'm no one special" - said the Vanya. Gil-galad and Elrond looked at each other in helplessly, not knowing what to say to her. Arya sighed at this, already knowing that none of them had the answer to this, and decided to let it go for the meantime. - "Alright, this conversation is not going to go anywhere. None of us know the Valar’s mind so we can't resolve this mystery now. I need to wash up, can you send someone to help me?" - asked the blonde to the King, Gil-galad nodded and Elrond left to ask for help.

* * *

"So, what will you do?" - asked the Perendhil, looking towards the blonde who was animatedly talking to Rehtaro while they both trained a pair of horses. Gil-galad shrugged his shoulders. 

"I will take care of her, get to know her better, and wait for her to grow before and marrying her. At last, my councillors are leaving me alone now, even if they didn't think I should wait for my mate, now that I've found her no one can expect me to give her up. It's only a few years after all" - said the King, deliberately mistaking the question. Elrond rolled his eyes, but insisted.

"I meant about that skill of hers"

"Nothing, there is nothing we can do without more information. And there is no one we can ask with Eönwë already gone. Cirdan is at a loss of what this means, Arya doesn't remember anything from the time of her death to the moment she awoke at this shores. The family who adopted her, if they knew anything else, were killed by the orcs and said nothing to her. Anything they may have known is lost" - concluded the Monarch. Elrond nodded, looking frustrated.

"At least, it doesn't seem to have harmed her, still I don't feel comfortable not knowing what causes it, or why this skill was given to her. I worry that there is some long-term effects to it and we won't become aware of them until it's too late" - admitted the Perendhil. Gil-galad nodded to this and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I am too, and I'm grateful for all you have done for us. But I'm at a loss of what else to do. I suppose we will have to wait and see, for now." At that moment, Arya and Rehtaro pushed their horses into a gallop and started a race. 

"Well, at least she doesn't seem too worried about it" - smiled the half-elf. Gil-galad returned the smile looking at his young mate happily. - "I'm happy for you Ereinion, if someone deserves to be happy, it is you". Gil-galad put his arm around his shoulders comradely. Both of them watched the race silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I finished this here. I didn't realize this would be the last chapter until now. I want to continue this in another story, with Arya nearer to her majority. Or maybe a few one-shots of her driving Gil-galad crazy with her antics. If it's not clear in the text, Arya hasn't said who she really is to Gil-galad, also I think this situation has plenty of room for jealousy and misunderstandings. But for this one, I need to stop it here. I won’t pretend to take this story further with Arya so young, it wouldn't be that interesting for now. 
> 
> Also, a small side note to this, even if it's not explicitly said in this tale, as part of the Utúlie universe, Gil-galad’s background and his mother's story is told in the previous works, I edited the notes there, to reflect this, but I wanted to leave it clear here too. I didn't realize at the time, because I was inspired by keiliss work, but I noticed that I took Gil-galad's mother inspiration from other tale, not keiliss but "Two shores of the lake by Lumeriel". I'm sorry I didn't give her credit from the start but the credit for the idea came from her tale.


End file.
